Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1056083
Mega-projects subject to challenge Small and mid-size projects have sprung up across California in the past three years. They include municipal and industrial wastewater reuse plants, and seawater desalination facilities. At the same time, larger desalination plant proposals have faced legal and political challenges on grounds of environmental impact and cost. A proposal for a 15 million US gallons a day (56,781 m3/d) desalination plant at Doheny, costing $107 million, was ranked the number one option for the southern part of Orange County by the Municipal Water District. The local utility, South Coast Water, looks to be moving header with a cheaper, Š ve million gallons a day (18,927 m3/d) facility. Proposals for large-scale plants—such as Poseidon's $1 billion Huntington Beach desalination project, a $380 million desalination facility at El Segundo, and a facility in San Diego—meanwhile, are subject to challenges. An agenda item to discuss the Huntington Beach project at Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board in December 2018 was dropped. Poseidon continues to work through the permitting process for its proposed plant. Longer dry season may contribute to wildfi res California has seen intense dry weather and heavy rainfall in the past two decades. Scien- tists say that such extremes are likely to continue as the climate warms. They predict that moisture will be stored in the atmosphere during longer dry periods, and that shorter, more concentrated rainfalls will occur from December to February. Commentators point out that this pattern tends to boost growth of vegetation, which then dries up and may con- tribute to wildŠ res. A national disaster was declared in North- ern California owing to the major wildŠ res burning there in August 2018. Across the state, a series of Š res burned during the summer months, costing an estimated $1.35 billion in Š re suppression operations, and a further $1.61 billion in damage. As Water. desalination + reuse went to press, wildŠ res Camp Fire and Woolsey were alight, with devastating results to life and property. WASCO WATER TREATMENT PLANT Wasco, San Joaquin Valley, Kern County Population 880,000 Facility takes industrial wastewater mostly from oil and gas operators and cleans it up for benefi cial reuse. The plant began operations in February 2018 and is to double in capacity during 2019. The reclaimed water is sold to industrial users and farmers. WOOLSEY FIRE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY, VENTURA COUNTY 98,362 acres burned 82% contained 3 fatalities 713 structures destroyed cleans it up for benefi cial reuse. The plant began operations in February 2018 and is to double in capacity during 2019. The reclaimed water is sold to industrial users and farmers. * As of 16 November 2018 * As of 16 November 2018 * As of 16 November 2018 * As of 16 November 2018 * As of 16 November 2018